Circuit-breaking means for motor-vehicles.



H. S. & M. L. HEATH. CIRCUIT BREAKING MEANS FDR MOTOR VEHICLES.APPLICATION FILED 00-1. 25, 1911.

Fig. [5

Patented Feb. 3, 19141.

L Fig. 4

Witnesses:

Atty.

srATEs PATENT OFFICE.

HARLEY s. HEATH AND MILLABD L. HEATH, or KENTON, OHIO.

cmcurr-snuakme MEANS Eon MOTOR-VEHICLES.

Application filed October 26, 1911. Serial No. 658,757.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, HARLEY S.

and MILLARD L. HEATH, citizens of the United States, residing at Kenton,in the county of Hardin and State of Ohio, have 5 invented certain newand useful Improvements in Circ'uit-Breaking'Means for Motor- Vehicles,of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a device for automatically shutting off anengine or motor of the explosive or internal combustion type when same15 mounted on a motorcycle or similar machine, when the latter is upsetor is tilted at an angle so great as to be likely f to result in theoverturnin of the machine.

The especial object of tie improvements of our invention is to provideautomatic shut- 1 oil or circuit breaking means whereby the? electriccircuit connected wit-h the spark plug or any similar spark producingmeans, is broken when the cycle ormachine on 5 which the motor ismounted, is tilted to a 3 dangerous angle in its operation, or is over iturned.

A. further object of said invention is to provide a device of thecharacter described that will be cheap to manufacture, add but little tothe weight of the motor vehicle, and

as applied to a motorcycle, it will be under-- stood that it may beclamped or secured to such portion of the frame of the vehicle as willbe most convenient and which will surely operate in case the machine istilted at an angle to which the automatic controllingdevice is adapted.

In the accompanyingdrawing:Figure 1 shows partly in elevation and partlyin section a circuit breaking or controlling device embodying ourinvention; Fig. 2 is a bot- HEATH torn plan view of the device; Fig. 3is a detail on an enlarged scale of the frictional control which forms afeature of the device as a whole, a nd Fig. 4 is a sectional detail ofthe terminal connect-ions for the circuit Wire's.

Referring to the details of the drawing, 4 represents a box or casingpreferably made of thin sheet metal in the trunco -'conical formillustrated. The bottom wall of the casing is curved and throughout thegreater part of its length is provided with a longitudinal slot 4Secured to the outer face of the bottom wall at a point-adjacent one endof the slot, is an angular stop 4) and on one side of the slot near itsends, are two lugs 4.. Projecting at right angles from the rear wall ofthe casing is a bracket i in which are suitable bolt holes 4 to receivethe bolts, 4!, by which the device may be attached to a motor cycleframe in any desired manner.

5 is 'a plate of insulating material rigidly secured within the casingat the rear wall thereof. To one side of this plate is attached, acontact plate 6 having contact surfaces of different radii, 6, 6 6 Thisplate is in circuit with binding posts 7, 7, which project through therear wall of the casing and through openings provided therefor in theplate 5. These posts it will be understood, are connected by suitablewires with the circuit in which the spark plug of the motor is placed.

7 represents the pendulum rod which as shown, is made of a rod of roundbrass and is pivoted at its upper end on the binding post 7. To thelower end of the rod 7 is fixed a cylindrical pendulum 7 of suit-ablematerial, and extending through the rod at a point just above thependulum, is an opening 7" to receive the guide rod 10.

Specification of Le'tte'r's Patent. Pat t d 3, 1914 8 represents a pairof opposed contact I bars which are connected with the pendulum rod 7bya boss 9 in which a hole 9 is formed to receive the rod, and a-thumbscrew 9 passes through the boss and has its inner end impinging on therod so as to secure the bars 8 in positionon said rod. One end of thebars 8 is flexibly connected by a link 8 and the other ends areconnected by an expansion spring 8", the tension of which is exerted tohold the bars apart and thus provide a yielding support for the roller 8which is mounted in the roller box 8, the latter being secured to theouter face of the bars 8.

10 represents a guide-ro-d bent in the arc of a circle and adjustablyconnected by screws 10" secured in its ends and fitting in slots 11 inthe free ends of the radial bars 11 which are secured at the inner endsto the plate 4. The rod lO'has a close sliding fit with the pendulum rod7 at the slot 7 12 represents an adjustable stop having an extension 12which projects through the slot a in the casing 4:, and an oppositelyarranged extension 12* which projects vertically into the casing. Thisstop is held in adjusted position in the casing between the two stops 41by a small spring 12, one end of which is secured to the stop and theother end frictionally engages the under face of the bottom wall of thecasing as clearly shown in Fig. 2. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the stop12 is arranged at the right hand end of the casing by the spring 12being pushed to the outer side of the lug 4 at that end of the casing.In this position, the stop does not interfere with the swinging of thependulum 7 If it be desired to throw the pendulum out of engagement soas to make it inoperative, the stop 12 is pushed to the opposite side ofthe casing or to the position indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1, andwhen in such position the spring l2 will have passed over the lug 4 atthat side of the casing and the stop will be held against the angularstop 4 and the pendulum will be held at the corresponding end of thecasing. It will be understood that so long as the roller 8 is in contactwith any portion of the contact plate the circuit in which said partsare connected is closed and that as soon as said roller leaves saidplate 6 and engages the insulating plate 5, the circuit will be open.

The operation of the above described appliance will be apparent,provided it be further understood that the entire device is so mountedthat as the motorcycle to which it is secured inclines from one side tothe other the pendulum 7 will be correspondingly swung. Bymaking thecont-act portions of the plate 6 of different radii as indicated at 6,6*, etc., it is obvious that as the radii 6 is much shorter than thesurface 6*, the roller 8 will leave the contact plate much more quicklythan if the roller is set opposite the portion 6. Hence, if the deviceis to be used by a beginner in motorcycle riding, he will adjust thebars 8 on the pendulum rod 7 so as to bring the roller 8 opposite theportion 8 whereupon the swinging of the pendulum in either directionwill break the circuit upon a comparatively slight inclination of themotorcycle. As the operator be comes more proficient in the use of themachine and therefore is able to maintain the equilibrium of the cycleeven though the latter may be inclined considerably from the upright, hewill move the bars 8 upward on the pendulum rod by loosening and thentightening the set screw 9 until the contact roller reaches the portion6. If the rider does not need the device, or for any reason wishes tocut it out of circuit he may disconnect the wires with the binding postsor move the stop 123w the position indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1.

It will be understood that one side of the box 4 is removable or ifdesired, may have a door therein or other means maybe pro vided forgetting access to the adjusting screw 9 whereby the bars 8 may be movedup or down along the rod 7.

Having thus described our invention what we claim as new, is

1. Circuit breaking means for motor vehicles, consisting of a casingadapted to be connected with the motor vehicle frame, and insulatedtherefrom, a contact plate secured within said casing and a membermounted in said casing to swing normally in contact with said plate,said plate and member being connected with the respective branches of anelectric circuit and adapted to close said circuit when in contact witheach other and to open it when out of contact.

2. Circuit breaking means for motor vehicles, consisting of a casingadapted to be connected with and insulated from a motor vehicle frame, agraduated contact plate fixed within said casing, and a member mountedin said casing to swing normally in contact with said plate, means foradjusting the point of contact between said swinging member and saidplate, said plate and member being connected with the respectivebranches of an electric circuit and adapted to close said circuit whenin contact with each other and to open it when out of contact.

3. A casin adapted to be attached to a motor cycle ame and insulatedtherefrom, a contact plate arranged in said casing and connected withone branch of the spark plu circuit of said vehicle, a "pendulum mounted-in said casing adapted to swing with the lateral movements of saidvehicle, connected with the other branch of said circuit, and normallyin contact with said plate, and means for holding said pendulum outofcontact with said plate.

4. A casing adapted to be rigidly'attached to the frame of a motor-cycleand insulated therefrom, a plate fixed in said casing connected with onebranch of the spark plug circuit of said motor-cycle and having con- Intestimony whereof we afiix our signatact areas of different extent, apendulum tures in the presence of two witnesses.

swingingly mounted in said casing and connected with the other branch ofsaid circuit, adjust-able means whereby said pendulum may be in contactwith the different areas of said plate, and means for holding saidpendulum out of contact with said plate.

HARLEY s. HEATH. MILLARD L. HEATH.

Witnesses:

L. M. HEATH, F REEDA LoTz.

